Chatcan: Jef asks Anupa about dating white dudes
/Jef and I have been friends for a long-time and share the same daffy sense of humour so we decided to team up to contribute a chat post to the Ethnic Aisle's Interracial Dating edition. Here, Jef asks me about dating white guys.
jef: So you want me to grill you about your dating history?
anupa: well no!
jef: boooo
anupa: maybe you can ask weird questions about dating white guys?
jef: Do you always date white guys?
anupa: No! I feel like in the past few years this has been some kind of trend for some reason which I can't really explain yet, but I am not one of those "I don't date.."-type people
I have dated white guys, a half-black/half-chinese guy and brown guys!
jef: Shout out to half a Chinese guy
anupa: He was all Jamaican though
I called him black chiney
jef: Of course you did!
When did you date your first white guy then?
anupa: ahh yes
jef: And was that a big deal?
anupa: second year of university
and yeah
Because up until that point I was straight Brampton, guy! I think I was one of the first out of my circle of friends to date a white guy!
jef: Did you not used to find white dudes attractive or was there just a drought over in B-town?
anupa: I remember having crushes on white boys when I was too young to even know what a crush was. But like, as a fully formed human, I think it was more just that I never met a white guy who I was attracted to in that way.
Maybe they were always TOO white?
Or too wack
anupa: If you wanna get deep, my first boyfriend when I was four-years-old was this little white boy who was my neighbor. This was when we lived in Scarborough and white people still lived in Malvern!
jef: Four!
anupa: yeah, we used to play together every afternoon
and one day I shared a toy flute with him and I remember someone got mad at me over that. Cooties!
jef: I don't think I was even forming memories at four.
anupa: you always remember your first love
jef: Oh shit.
anupa: LOLZ
jef: This just turned into a cheesy Spielberg movie or some shit
anupa: Here's what I think is interesting though about the white guy thing, if you'll indulge. I've never dated a *cough* cracker-ass white guy
Like, they've always been white guys who have a pretty diverse group of friends
Who are somewhat attuned to the cultural sensibilities of people of colour.
jef: But that's not attractive, right?
That's just a qualifier?
anupa: Maybe it's a qualifier that I'm attracted to?
jef: Hahaha
Do you have a fetish, Anupa?
anupa: YES!
This is the thing though, right
During #ethnichat I started wondering... maybe I'M the one with the fetish?
For DOWN-ASS WHITE BOYS
jef: The down-ass white boy thing, how do you feel about it?
Are you guilty?
Are you weirded out or is just whatever to you by now?
anupa: Well now that I'm starting to consciously think about it, I've been wondering over the past couple of days if it's just the same thing that I don't want done to me..
But mostly it's whatever now
It's not the ONLY thing I'm attracted to, like I said. It's been a weird pattern that my friends sometimes poke fun at.
jef: Is it a safe way to date white guys?
Because normally we'd rag on girls who always date white girls
sorry white guys
but you can say, "eh, he's alright though."
anupa: Maybe!
But I think it's more of a personal comfort level thing too
Like, I want to know that I can bring you around my Jamaican BFFs and you're not going to be COMPLETELY out of pocket
jef: Right, but that's kinda ignoring the white thing
Because just dating an Indian dude would also accomplish that
anupa: Yeah, but again, it's not like I'm consciously seeking out the white dude!
jef: Hmmm
^^doubtful
All you're saying is you're attracted to white guys. We're saying the same thing.
anupa: I know!! Maybe this isn't interesting at all!
jef: Well, it is
Just like you said, it's always "a thing" when POCs date white people
I dunno if rightfully or not, but it's true
Especially with the parentals and stuff
anupa: I just don't think about my parents anymore when it comes to dating
Not to sound assholish, but it's hard enough to meet a normal cosmic being as it is without weird constraints you don't even personally believe in being forced upon you
jef: That's not assholish, that's being a grown up.
anupa: Sorry, that's my kneejerk "respect your elders" coming out
jef: You said your friends tease you. How so?
anupa: Okay, so like, I currently have a crush-from-a-distance on someone who happens to be white
And my BFF called today from Paris - we don’t talk too often so I was just filling her in on lots of mundanities
And when I mentioned this crush, she auto-responded: "IS HE WHITE?"
But maybe this might have to do with all the pink dick jokes we made back in high school..
TMI? LOLOL
jef: What the blood, Anupa
WTB
I agree though, when you mention dudes I just kind of always assume they're white.
Are you mad at me??
anupa: Do I seem like I prefer white guys?
jef: Also, I think you are soul mates with [white guy, redacted for secrecy]
Yeah, you do
It might also be because we did those Lost recaps together and every week you would talk about Sawyer being topless
anupa: Oh man, so hot
Is this too boring for people you think?
I don't think we gleaned anything insightful
jef: I can ask you the Big Question
anupa: ew
okay go
jef: hahaha
anupa: i might not answer
jef: hhahahahha
it's not that
anupa: not what?! lol
just ask
jef: Do you ever think having a thing for white guys makes you a "sellout”?
anupa: LOL um no
1) As I said, it's hard out here for a pimp
jef: lol
anupa: 2) i am not like one of those "I only date white guys" people or someone who thinks white guys are inherently BETTER. So if it happens that I meet and like one, it iz whut it iz.
3) "fuck your ethnicity*" - kendrick lamar
* Benedict Anderson's book/idea of Imagined Communities, where he describes nationality as a social construct, informs a lot of my belief regarding the fluidity of identity so it’s like, what exactly would I be selling out?
jef: Changing the s's to z's made that second point extra sleazy
anupa: gonna leave it in
jef: There was a time in my life when I was really concerned with people dating white people
anupa: really?
jef: it's something that seems increasingly ridiculous as I get older
Well in early high school I definitely liked white girls
I think I imprinted on Hitchcock blondes when I was young
So there was concern in that direction
And then later I got all righteous and shit and dating white people seemed like a stupid thing to do. And then somewhere after that I became normal. (I hope)
anupa: we’ve all had our conscious phases.
It might've been my black chiney BF who said he had a problem with nonwhites dating whites. And I was like, ‘HALLO! You are a product of interracial and, like, I am brown in case you didn't notice.’ But he was kind of militant at that point I think. That said, I think he has a brown girl fetish now.
This will be embarrassing if he reads this (Hi Nick!)
jef: Everyone has brown girl fetish!
You gals are the new Japanese chicks
(Hi Nick!)
anupa: Who has a brown girl fetish?
Please send them to me.